Kingdom of the Crystal skull Bullwhip by Terry Jacka

[BullWhipBorton]

My "Crystal skull" bullwhip arrived earlier this week From Terry Jacka. It arrived very well packaged, safe and sound with out any problems.



http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/1120/dscf7304tn2.jpg

I am extremely pleased with it. It's 10ft long 12 plait dark brown Kangaroo hide, Terry calls it saddle tan but it darkens up so much from the plaiting soap, its its more of a dark brown when finished. It’s a very well made whip though, plaited very tight. This is one serious bullwhip, the thing is a monster to say the least. I was amazed how robust it was, it is easily the heaviest, thickest kangaroo hide bullwhip I have ever seen or used. It dwarfs the Morgan Indy’s especially the thinner ones used in the first three films.


(KotCS bullwhip with a 10ft David Morgan mid 90s Indy 455 bullwhip)
The size and thickness of these whips are certainly deceiving in the studio photos and in the film. You don’t really realize how much more robust these crystal skull whips are until you have them side-by-side with others.

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/9854/whips2nr6.jpg
(Compared to 2 Morgan’s and a J.Strain Indy)

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/943/whips33ur7.jpg
(Compared to some of Terry’s other whips)

I’ve spent the past few days cracking it, it's very a very powerful whip and extremely accurate. It cracks well though the action is very different from the David Morgan type Indy bullwhips as well as from the regular Australian bullwhips Terry makes. It’s a powerhouse of a whip and very different then what many will be used to, for that reason I expect some will love it others won’t. Becasue of its size and weight this is probably not the whip to get if your doing alot complex combinations, but the way this bullwhip is designed, there is such a focus of energy transferred though the whip it cracks very easily and very powerfully. It handles all the basic cracks with ease as well as some of the more basic combination throws.

Mine also came with a printed certificate stating that the whip was plaited for me and was "the same style and as close as possible to the same dimensions as the whips used by Harrison Ford and for the Movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and signed by Terry Jacka.

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/1420/dscf0013vr1.jpg
(The gear shot)

As many of you already know, I’ve been working with Terry for some time now to sell these whips directly. He has a Website in the works that will be up in the near future too but in the mean time will offer the whips to COW members before it goes online. Two versions of this whip will be available, the standard model and the “J” series model and will be available to order in 8ft and 10 ft lengths. The “J” series comes with a small laser engraved brass cap fixed on the butt of the whip, with the initial “J” and a fancier certificate. The standard is the same whip with out the “J” cap. Ordering information will be up in a day or two in the Vendors announcement section for those interested.

Dan

[Shagbd]

holy wowzers batman!

wow that thing is amazing!
SUPER nice whip, but the part that interestes me most is the last part!

any idea of price yet or should i just patiently wait?
Im already in line dude!

[Mike]

That looks mighty sweet! Is that the standard or "J" series?

[serrecuir]

Dan,

Congrats on gettting your whip finally!! Glad to hear it arrived safe and sound. "Robust" is definitely the word I would use to describe this whip. Congrats on working out the direct deal with Terry for the COW too. That's fantastic news for everyone here who wants one of Terry's amazing whips.

Enjoy cracking that beauty!

Kindest regards,
Craig

[JMObi]

Veeery nice looking whip, Dan!

I know what you mean about it being a powerhouse. It feels like the King of Indy whips when you are holding one of these Terry Jacka Indy 4 whips in your hand.

I'd like to thank you again for putting me in touch with Terry early on. My whip is going really well and it is a joy to own.

[Cracker]

Dan, that is a beautiful whip, and very stout looking too compared to the other whips. Would you mind posting some dimensions like diameter of handle, diameter of thong after the transition knot, etc? I'd be very interested in seeing those.
Jim

[Boggstandard]

Someone once posed the question: "Where's the beef?"
Now we know. It's in your new Jacka Crystal Skull whip.

A great looking whip.

I like a meatier/more robust whip- seems like you've got one.

Have fun.

[Indiana G]

Dan, that looks great! congratulations my friend.....can i have it?

what a magnificent piece to the IJ collection. i hope to be an owner soon as well. kudos for you for bringing this offering to COW.

cheers,


g

[Satipo]

Now that's a great, chunky-looking whip! Looks like it could stop a truck.

[Hairyloft]

I love that whip, I can't wait to get mine sorted.

[Bardoon]

Looks beautiful BWB!!!

Though I love the coloration of the KotCS Bullwhip (I have one of my own), I have to admit I much prefer the design specs of the Raiders whip.

[BullWhipBorton]

Thank you all for your replies, I hopefully will have a bit of video up of the whip in action before too long as well.

Mike, Mine is a standard model with out the brass cap, the one I helped JMObi get however is a “J” series bullwhip, and in fact his is Number 1. It was originally offered to me first but Terry didn’t have the proper export permit to get it past U.S. customs at the time. I knew JMObi wanted a Crystal Skull whip too though and being in Australia already he wouldn’t need the export permits, which take a few weeks to get as is once applied for. So I opted to wait a few more weeks for mine and offered that one it to him. I thought the brass cap was a very classy touch however I opted to go with out it.

For those of you who have one of these, you know exactly what I mean when I say this is a robust whip . I first thought mine it was too thick compared to the originals, but many of photos are deceiving just by looking at them, you can see from this photo of one of the film whips on set though just how thick and heavy the reinforced transition was/is.


Jim, The diameter of the thong at the thickest point right after transition knot is just under 1 ¼" appox. The handle at the thinnest point just after the Turkeshead is 1" appox, there is a slight taper in the handle that thickens towards the transition. The space between the knots is 5”. Of course no two whips are ever exactly the same. The leather used is always different one way or another; thicker, thinner etc, so there is always slight variation in every whip made. But they all should be pretty close, according to Terry most probably wouldnt notice a differnce from whip to whip unless you measured it with a micrometer or a caliper.

Bardoon I agree with you in a way, While the classic Raiders bullwhip will always be my favorite of mine, as its what started it all, there is something very special about the Crystal Skull bullwhip too, It’s a powerhouse in comparison and just a really neat whip to have and use, as you know.

For those members who are serous about getting one of these bullwhip, I just posted the information in the Vendors Announcement section regarding how to order one from Terry Jacka, along with some additional photos of the whips themselves.

Dan

[JMObi]

Here is my Indy 4 whip made by Terry Jacka. It is the first of the 'J' series, and has a signed certificate with it marked 000001. Terry has also hand written onto the certificate "This is the first 'J' series bullwhip". Apparently it is made from the same batch of leather as the movie whips, as no doubt Dan's is also. The whip is just over 10 feet long from butt of the handle to the end of the braiding.



It was great for Dan to contact me and help me to get this first whip. I like the Raiders bullwhip very much, especially Bernardo del Carpio's, but this bullwhip is also very special. It cracks really easily and loudly, too!

[Hairyloft]

Thanks Dan for sorting out the details with Terry Jacka, I've emailed him already to get a standard 8ft and I can't wait (although I know I'll have to!).
Oh yes and Beautiful whip JMObi!!

[Cracker]

Dan, thanks for taking the time to do the measurements. It is even larger than I thought from the pictures. But I really like the look.
Jim

[Weston]

Very nice whip! While "Robust" is good, I'd go farther and say "Muscular".
Enjoy it!

Weston

[Marhala]

OMG! I had read the Jacka was thicker than Morgans, but the Morgan really looks skinny when being side by side! Excellent whip, Dan, congratulations on such a pick.

Remember all COW members to come have a drink at Marhala's Bar.

[Ravenswood]

Now I understand what "moderately heavy" means with regard to the Morgan Indy whips!
My main complaint with a lot of the starter (read cheap) whips was that the thongs tended to taper much too quicky off the handle, and of course you end up with a very light filler, and not particularly well balanced whip. Not very graceful crackers
I'm thinking Indy's new whip, this jacka, is the complete antithesis of that. Here you have the thickest whip ever, with a very slow taper, and of course, more plaits at the drop transition. This thing has to be all about balance, doing much of the work itself.
Does the weight of that beauty tend to get at you after a while though?
MOST awesome looking whip I should add...BIG TIME congrats!

[BullWhipBorton]

"Muscular", that works Thanks.

Thanks Ravenswood. You are right, most cheap whips taper in the first 12 to 18 inches then are the same diameter the entire length of the whip to the fall, if they have a fall and also use a filler material without any type of plaited belly structure to the whip. There is really no comparing those whips with this bullwhip though, as they are two completely different examples on different ends of the scale.

The balance on this whip is good even with it being such a heavy whip, the design helps it a lot in that its shaped correctly and the weight is distributed well enough so that if you just give it an easy flick it cracks very well. Due to the length and the weight, it did wear me out a bit quicker at first, Granted too I may have gotten a bit too used to using shorter whips this year but I am finding that the more I use it and the more it breaks in and the more I adjust to its differences and learn from it, the more I like it and the better it performs.

When I was talking to Anthony De Longis about these bullwhips, he had commented to me that compared to the other Indy bullwhips and even other Terry Jacka Australian bullwhips, that this style bullwhip required more body motion to get it though certain combinations properly, I agree with that. You really have to let this whip do the work for you or it's going to wear the user out really quick, so technique is especially important. I do find that the heavier stiffer transition helps it with multiple cracking though as the tenseness lends itself well to resetting for the next throw and gives it a bit of spring and leverage in the throw.

Those that where concerned that these Jacka Indy whips would be too delicate a for Indy well this thing is built like a tank and packs one serious of a punch, I can see why Harrison Ford supposedly liked these whips as much as he did. In that sense though I think I would have a hard time recommending this type of bullwhip to new beginner whip cracker, especially the 10ft model as this is just a whole lot of whip and it can be a little challenging at times. For someone who actually already knows what he or she is doing though there is a lot that can be done with it and it’s a very fun whip to use.

Dan

[Indy1024]

wish i had one of them!

[Indiana G]

now that's extremely reassuring Dan i thought i'd have to relearn all my cracks (something i wouldn't mind doing ). hopefully i'll have some fun with her when she comes in.....hopefully before the snow falls

[weaponx24]

that is one beautiful bullwhip!

[BullWhipBorton]

Thanks.

No need to relearn your cracks Indiana G, but you may need to adjust a bit for the whip, that’s all.

Here is a short video with a few combined clips we took of the whip in action recently.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcEKj3nKnDQ
Nothing fancy, just a bit of Indy style whip cracking, I think it gives a good view how this whip performs and some of the things that can be done with it.

Dan

[Magno]

holy wowzers batman!

wow that thing is amazing!
SUPER nice whip, but the part that interestes me most is the last part!

any idea of price yet or should i just patiently wait?
Im already in line dude!

I thought you already got a CS whip?

[Shagbd]

holy wowzers batman!

wow that thing is amazing!
SUPER nice whip, but the part that interestes me most is the last part!

any idea of price yet or should i just patiently wait?
Im already in line dude!

I thought you already got a CS whip?

well....... i have a Joe Strain whip....... I dont own a Jacka whip........... yet............

[dr. tyree]

My WORD I love that guy's whips. That is just a thing of beauty to watch. The roll out is only superseded by the sound of that hard hitting crack at the end. Awesome! I wish I could find one of TJ's seven foot stock whips. David Morgan stopped carrying them.

[Indiana G]

whoa dan....man you float that thing very gracefully in a "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" kinda way. amazing!

thanks for making my wait more painful :evil:

you are the man!!!!

[BullWhipBorton]

dr. tyree, You could always ask Terry to make you one of his 7ft competition stockwhips, he might be willing to do that since David no longer carry’s them.

Thanks Indiana G, glad I can make the wait more agonizing! Anything to help out a friend

The whip is breaking in very nicely though, I still can’t get over what a beast it is . It looks normal by it self but when I have it on the rack hanging up with my other whips, it looks like a giant in comparison!

Dan

[Shagbd]

. It looks normal by it self but when I have it on the rack hanging up with my other whips, it looks like a giant in comparison!

Dan

Rack? You have a rack where you keep your whips?
i ask because im trying to figure out some kinda way to display mine...
care to post pics?

[weaponx24]

Thanks.

No need to relearn your cracks Indiana G, but you may need to adjust a bit for the whip, that’s all.

Here is a short video with a few combined clips we took of the whip in action recently.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcEKj3nKnDQ
Nothing fancy, just a bit of Indy style whip cracking, I think it gives a good view how this whip performs and some of the things that can be done with it.

Dan

That thing sounds like a cannon going off when it cracks!

[Weston]

Just saw your video Dan. That thing looks like it's alive! It has as much pep as alot of 8ft whips I've seen, but with more "bite"!

Weston

[weaponx24]

how much did it cost if you dont mind me asking?

[Nebraska Brad]

Ok, I had to pull the plug and order one from Terry. BullWhipBorton's video was more than I could take. He tells me to expect about a 2 month delivery time.

-Nebraska

[Shagbd]

hey Dan, are you going to dye your knots like the movie one?

I was talking (emailing) Terry about that and he said he delivered them all drum stuffed saddle tan.

So im assuming that Anthony is the one that Dyed the knots darker?

[Dutch_jones]

hey Dan, are you going to dye your knots like the movie one?

I was talking (emailing) Terry about that and he said he delivered them all drum stuffed saddle tan.

So im assuming that Anthony is the one that Dyed the knots darker?

No probably wardrobe department.

[BullWhipBorton]

Sorry about the delay, here is a photo of one of my whip racks Shagbd.



It’s not really meant for display so much as for storage for when they aren’t being used, which isn’t that often. I made a set of these stands in different heights to use as target holders a few years ago, but they double nicely as whip racks as well. I just have them tied up with extra leather lace. One of these days I’d like to get around to making a bunch of snap style leather whip holders and hang them up with those instead, but for now I have too much on the to do list already.

http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/1092 ... 01fwq9.jpg

I really don’t plan on dying the knots any darker on my CS whip, in some of the photos I’ve seen the knots really don’t look any darker then the rest of the whip, so im not going to worry about it. Anthony De Longis was in charge of dying and weathering the whips prior to delivery on the set. He said it was done just to age them at the request Prop Master Doug Harlocker, and that he (Anthony) didn’t do anything special to darken the knots at that time. He didn’t know if they did any additional dying on set or if the darkened effect was from just the normal wear and tear and dragging them through the dirt during filming and adding leather dressing. Thought clearly in some of the publicity photos the knots are noticeably made black for whatever reason, so If anything more were done it would have been done by Doug in the props department. With the DVD coming out in a couple months I suspect it should help clear some of that up unless I can get in contact with Doug Harlocker before then and get a comment form him. Many of these types of details where covered on the main write ups of Indygear which Terry and Anthony helped me with.
http://www.indygear.com/igbullwhip.html
http://www.indygear.com/igDeLongis.html

weaponx24, The whip cost $800 Australian Dollars, not including postage and insurance. While I Usually don’t judge the quality of a whip by how loudly it cracks because that has more to do with the energy your imparting into it yourself, i have to admit it doesn’t take much to get a really imposing crack out of this bullwhip.

-Nebraska, Glad to hear my video helped you decide to part with your money for one of these beauties. Which bullwhip did you place and order for? 8 or 10 ft? “J” or no “J” cap? The 2 months wait is the standard right now and really isn’t too bad for one of his whips all things considering. Still that doesn’t make waiting any easier. I am looking forward to seeing all your guys’ Crystal Skull bullwhips when they arrive!

Dan

[Shagbd]

WOW!
Dan, thats a really brilliant idea!
I have been meaning to make some similar target stands and thats a grea idea to have it do double duty as a whip rack!
NICE!

yeh, Ive read the articles and anthony mentioned the dying them in an email i got from him, but it did seem odd that the knots in this publicity shots were dang near BLACK!

you mentioned the DVD....... ive read what features are going to be on it, and nothing is mentioned specifically about the whip, i was really hoping to get a ENTIRE feature on that topic and maybe some clips of Tony training Harry! doesnt look like we will get that lucky though.
and as LITTLE as the whip was used, i guess it does make sense that they would NOT make a feature about it.


PS: OH yeh, in case I didnt mention, Im on Terry's list too...... im down for a 8' "J" Edition whip.... the next two months will be grueling.... but really comparitively speaking, thats not THAT bad of a wait...
I realize the 10' is what the hero was, but for the kinda whip cracking im growing to like, i think ill get more use out of the 8 footer

[Nebraska Brad]

Dan,

Thanks. I opted for the 10' standard model. I seem to always gravitate toward 10' whips. I should probably spend some more time with shorter models but I gots to go with the hero length. Trying to learn figure 8's with a 10' has not been easy.

Weaponx24,

Terry quoted me at $850 Australian with about $90 for insurance and shipping. $50 more than Dan's so I don't know if he got a great deal or Terry has decided for a little price bump.

-Nebraska

[thatguyno1]

Just for comparison I got an email from Terry on July 29 quoting $550 Aus for an 8' "J" plus another $90 shipping. He also said it might be a couple of months before he can get caught up on orders and will get back with me then to get payment for mine. So looks like about 4 months for me. I already have a 10' Strain and a 10' DelCarpio so I opted for the 8' (same size as my Nolan RotLA). Maybe by then we will have more info about the coloring of the knots from the DVD and I will know what to ask for from Terry. My Strain doesn't have the darker knots but the DelCarpio does.

Paul ô¿ô

[BullWhipBorton]

Thanks Shagbd, though I can't take full credit for the idea as I got it from some whip enthusiasts friends out in the South Western U.S. one of whom who makes and sells similar target stand/racks, I just figured I could make my own as a weekend project just as easily. They work pretty well.

I was originally a bit torn between buying an 8ft or a 10ft model but I actually needed another 10ft bullwhip more so then an 8ft this time. I already have several 8ft whips with another 8ft Indy on order, so this time I picked the 10ft. Also as prices go up i figured i'd get a 10ft while the price was still somewhat reasonable, I hope to at some point place another order for an 8ft CS whip from Terry.

Yes, No doubt the knots in some of the publicity photos had been dyed black! They had about 6 or 7 of the Jacka whips all together for the movie though and its difficult to tell from the photos we have so far if they where all like that. I have speculated that many of those publicity photos may have been shot after filming wrapped too, and I wondered if the bullwhips may had been cleaned and re touched up for those shoots, as the darker knots just aren’t as clearly visible in many of the movie stills that where released. Also Anthony’s whip didn’t have the black knots, though he wasn’t really on set for very long. The DVD special features release did mention a exclusive look at memorable props used didnt it? I am hoping the bullwhip is considered one of them but if not the DVD should at least provide some high-resolution screen grabs of the whips for better comparison. Hopefully they will at least include the behind the scenes footage of Harrison practicing between takes as well though.

Brad, unfortunately the $850 AUD price is higher then the last price Terry quoted me, I will ask him about that this week and find out why he raised the price, as I’ll need to update the price list in the Vendors Forum too. The original price he was going to charge was $820 AUD but he decided dropped it lower last minute so he could keep the total price of the whip cost less then the Aussie stock saddle co. cost. I wonder what has changed. The prices do fluctuate a bit as the U.S. Dollar drops in value and the Australian dollar rises but it shouldn’t change that much.

Paul, Hopefully you wont have to wait 4 months. What he had planned on doing for COW members was taking the orders and placing you on a waiting list of sorts, when he has the whip made for you and it is ready to ship it, he will contact you again with the exact price and to make sure you still want it, if you do you then you send him payment and he will ship it out. I suspect that will change as he his website goes up and he is taking more public orders. He does take his time on these bullwhips though, and hey If it makes you feel better though I’ve been waiting over a year now for my Adventurebilt Crystal Skull hat to go with the whip.

Dan

[thatguyno1]

Paul, Hopefully you wont have to wait 4 months. What he had planned on doing for COW members was taking the orders and placing you on a waiting list of sorts, when he has the whip made for you and it is ready to ship it, he will contact you again with the exact price and to make sure you still want it, if you do you then you send him payment and he will ship it out. If it makes you feel better though I’ve been waiting over a year now for my Adventurebilt Crystal Skull hat to go with the whip.

Dan

Thanks for that clarification Dan. I know what you mean about the wait time for the Adventurebilt CS - I'm on 13 months as of now but I don't mind knowing the quality and the craftsmanship I will be getting in the form of a hat made by the same guy as the one in the film. With that as a basis I wasn't actually minding the 4 months for the Jacka if that is what it would take. Glad to hear it won't be that long after all. With the recent strengthening of the US dollar who knows - maybe the price will go my way for once.

Paul ô¿ô

[BullWhipBorton]

Paul, don’t quote me on that lol as I could be mistaken. I haven’t been able to get a hold of Terry this week to confirm anything, but I do know he has a lot of orders to fill right now.

Last I heard Steve Delk was well into June 07 orders on his hats, hopefully yours should arrive before too long! I ordered mine in early August 07 so I have a bit longer to wait too. One thing about Indy gear and whips, you have be patient .

Dan

[Robert Duke]

I haven't seen any comments about the handle length. Others have said how long the handle and transition was much longer than a traditional Morgan style Indy whip (8").

Cheers,
Robert Duke
www.DukeWhips.com

[BullWhipBorton]

Robert, The handle length from the end of each knot on mine is between 7 ¾ and 8 inches. The space between the knots is exactly 5 inches. Aside from the larger turkshead, the measurements are actually pretty close to the Last Crusade era Indy bullwhips which these where loosely based after. The transition zone is longer and more ridged then the classic Indy bullwhips though. It’s a typical Jacka style transition, but on steroids in this case, which he did to add a bit more leverage for each throw. It has some flex right off the handle but its still pretty stiff.

I’ve had a few people ask me privately about the tension in the transitional area and how the progressive flexibility affects the way the whip coils too. When I first received this bullwhip, It was very ridged, Especially with in the first 2 – 2 ½ feet up off the handle, that shows up pretty clearly in the first photos and even in some of the early video. It was flexible enough to give a spring to the throws, but it really wouldn’t coil the way the classic Indy bullwhips would. Now that the whip has been breaking in and getting more relaxed, its coiling up more to what we are used to seeing with a normal bullwhip, or at least coils up the way it looks on screen in the film. The robust start of the thong does keeps it from coiling as tightly, compared to a well broken in Morgan bullwhip, but there is enough flexibility in that section to be able to coil it similarly to any other Jacka type bullwhip and the way it appears on screen. JMObi's whip shows that pretty well, as does this photo of mine.



Dan

[Indiana G]

woohoo! got an e-mail from terry today saying i'm next in line for one of his beauties i ordered around the time that dan made the announcement so if you did as well.....your time will come.

cheers all.....and i can't thank dan enough for bringing this offering to COW....let alone ME

"owe you a gin"

[BullWhipBorton]

That’s great news Indiana G. Glad i could help you out with this. Let me know when yours is scheduled to arrive, i am looking forward to seeing it and hearing your thoughts on the whip

Terry's Australian whip Co. website is now up and running too so check it out at http://theaustralianwhipco.com/

the prices for the crystal skull bullwhips have also been updated and raised as expected and are now $600.00 AUD for the 8ft and $850.00 AUD fot the 10ft modle.

Dan

[Shagbd]

i spoke with terry, and he said that the prices quoted on the vendors forum are still sound for COW members

[BullWhipBorton]

You are right Shagbd, Terry Jacka is offering an Indygear / Club Obi-Wan membership discount on his Crystal Skull bullwhips. The prices for members will still be $550 AUD for the 8ft model and $800 AUD for the 10ft model. For non-members the prices will stand at $600.00 AUD for the 8ft model and $ 850 for the 10ft model.

Dan

[weaponx24]

I wonder how back logged Terry is from these whips! I hope its not too long. Im thinking about getting one...

[Nebraska Brad]

I placed my order on August 16th and Terry told me about 2 months wait.

-Nebraska